The Lumberjacks, On tour

Canadian stand-ups seem to make a good living on the British circuit. There's hyperactive surrealist Tony Law; foul-mouthed angel Katherine Ryan; the ball of creative energy that is Phil Nichol; and then there's the trio of Craig Campbell, Stewart Francis and Glenn Wool, touring once again under the moniker of the Lumberjacks. Francis, with his fantastically deadpan one-liners, is unarguably the biggest name of the trio at present. Campbell is a mix of laidback slacker and no-holds-barred risk-taker, a natural outdoors type and perpetual adventurer; while Glenn Wool's the partygoing political animal who provides debauched anecdotes and shrewd social philosophising in equal measure.

Stewart Lee: Work In Progress, London

This run of shows sees Lee beginning to shape the material for the third series of his critically acclaimed BBC2 Comedy Vehicle. Some people can't understand work-in-progress shows – why see something that's only half-finished? – but it's a vital stage in the process of evolving a really good stand-up set, and allows audiences to view the workings of the comic mind, all at a discounted price. Lee doesn't skimp on his preparations, with similar shows planned throughout the rest of the year running up to recordings in early 2014. To judge from earlier outings of this nature, Lee's material is likely to change radically in that time; sometimes evolving gently, occasionally mutating wholesale. It's a rare chance to be in at the birth of what's sure to be another provocative and intensely enjoyable stand-up experience.

David Kay, Newcastle upon Tyne

If you're an unorthodox comic then it certainly doesn't hurt to get an endorsement from the aforementioned Stewart Lee; a blessing from the grand old man of leftfield comedy instantly marks you out for the connoisseurs' consideration. Scots stand-up David Kay is one of Lee's current top picks, appearing alongside him on Comedy Central's Alternative Comedy Experience and gaining acclaim as one of its stand-out acts. Kay welds simple joke-telling structures to bizarre subject matter. As with fellow Lee faves Kevin McAleer and Michael Redmond, he lives in a world that's completely off-kilter, yet somehow the ludicrous things that happen there leave him totally unsurprised. These are comic techniques that might never net Kay a spot on Live At The Apollo but make him an impressive proposition for those who like their stand-ups to come in odd shapes.